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If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my twenty one years of life, it’s that having no regrets is one of the most satisfying things in the world. You never have to wonder what could have been and you’ll never have to look back at the past, thinking the phrase “what if.” Everybody is faced with choices on a daily basis and we are forced to make decisions that we are going to live with for the rest of our lives, no matter how big or small. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather make a decision that I firmly believe in, rather than one I was coerced into. I try to live my life in a way that is honest and genuine. If I think something is right, then I’d rather do that.

When it comes to my family and friends, I tell them I love them, I am affectionate toward them, and I help them in their times of need in any way that I can. I don’t want any of them to disappear, leaving me feeling like I could’ve done more for them, even if it was simply making them feel more loved. If I love them and care for them, I want them to know right then and there, not when it’s too late. When it comes to my goals and my career in general, I want the choices I make to be based off of what I believe is the best thing, not what society believes is the best thing. I would rather take a risk, nurturing a passion for the arts and independence, then “give up” and apply for a traditional job. If I don’t dedicate myself to what I believe in first, then I’ll never know if it could have worked in the first place.

Regrets are horrible because you can’t make them go away so easily. The past is the past and it can’t be changed. Although your mind can be changed and the way you look at the past can be altered, it is much easier said than done. I would rather not have to go through the trouble of regretting in the first place. I prefer to be honest with myself and make a decision I can live with, than one I have to erase from my memory. I do have some regrets, but they’re entirely from situations that happened years ago, before I even knew what I wanted in life. I’m still coping with those regrets, so I have no intentions of adding anything more to the list. I fully intend to live my life to the fullest to ensure I never look back wondering what could have been.

A couple of days ago, the public got word of Big Sean’s latest track “Control” from his sophomore album Hall of Fame; however, it’s Kendrick Lamar’s verse that is causing an utter uproar among all hip-hopheads. Many people are perceiving Kendrick’s lyrics as a diss track to his fellow MC’s, but my honest opinion is that he is simply being real. It’s been a while since the rappers of this new generation have been professionally threatened, allowing them to get by on commercializing their rhymes rather than producing genuinely impressive lyricism. Thus, I would call Kendrick’s words a call to action before I call it a diss track. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few rappers who do display their talent properly, while there are even more who could do so but choose not to and that’s the problem. Rappers are getting too comfortable.

Since the verse was heard around the world, social networking sites have become billionaires with everyone’s two cents (yes, I made my own donation, as well) and even a few “responses” are beginning to make their way into the viral world. So far, I must admit that I’m most impressed with Bad Boy’s King Los, a rapper I had never even heard of, who delivers a classy rebuttal to Kendrick’s infamous lines. He says his piece, proves his point, and still manages to respect his colleagues all at the same time. In my opinion, he directly reflects Kendrick’s own tone on Big Sean’s track. With that being said, my favorite response comes from none other than Joel Ortiz, who, despite his clear rage, is able to deliver a top notch set of bars in record time. Yeah, Ortiz sounds mad, but I guess he had to be inspired by something. I think Joel did what he needed to do to win round one of this debate by including egotism, passion, and references to the original source of Kendrick’s verse. Point to Ortiz.

However, like most of the hip hop world, I am definitely looking forward to the responses of some big names in the rap industry. It is way too early for Joel Ortiz to be the biggest name with a response to Kendrick. But I’m not interested because I want to see music artists antagonizing or belittling each other. I don’t see this revival of lyrics as an excuse to bash one another over a beat, but I think it should be taken more as an opportunity to prove why they deserve to be a player in the game. I’m interested to see how far these rappers can push their creativity and vocabulary to the point where their intelligence and innovative instincts are what make them get noticed. Kendrick wasn’t trying to diss anybody. He was trying to keep people on their toes. He clearly states that he has love for the rappers he calls out, but that he’s also trying to beat them. The music industry is a competition and Kendrick singled himself out as a lyricist who wants to compete. Now, it’s up to others to defend their place as competitors as well, but what Kendrick did is remind the world that the competition is based on talent and not commercialism, at least the competition of rap. He may have gotten a lot of people mad, but he also may have taken lyricism out of retirement.

After a seven month long break from tennis and a few small tournaments, Rafael Nadal reclaimed his title as the King of Clay by winning the French Open yesterday against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. As his eighth win at Roland Garros, this victory has helped make Rafa the first player to win eight Grand Slam titles in any major. Despite his drop to being ranked fifth in the world, I think this is enough to prove that Rafa is still among the best in the sport of tennis. Rafa himself said that this was a crucial match for him after coming back from such a serious injury. While he was on hiatus healing his knees, nobody was really sure if his career would be able to continue when he was given the okay to play. Everybody, including Rafa, feared that his game wouldn’t be the same, making this victory even more important for Rafa and his fans. I personally got a little emotional as well when I saw Rafa’s eyes tearing up as he held the trophy in his hands listening to the Spanish National Anthem. It was a moment when the world of tennis was assured that Rafa’s career isn’t over just yet.

It’s that time of the year again… school is back in session, which only means that my life is back to being a giant pile of organized chaos, but hey I wouldn’t be myself if that wasn’t my life. My students are back in school, so soon enough I’ll be going to meetings every week and I won’t spend more than a few hours without talking to my kids. Not only will I be playing mentor to my high schoolers, but I’ll also be doing a lot of administrative things that have been in the works for the past month. Yup, even though I’ve been working all summer, that first day of class just means that it’ll be kicked up a notch. I’ll be a mommy, mentor, and friend, while also managing to be a Program Director, too. Pretty cool, right? On top of that, my first day of school is today.

Yes, that is correct. Today is my first day as a senior in college and I couldn’t be happier. I am absolutely dreading the abundance of papers, readings, and quizzes. The late nights and early mornings are going to be inevitable, but I’m not complaining because the sooner I get through these last few classes, the sooner I will be a college graduate. Plus, I like to think I work better under pressure. When I know I have all of the time in the world, I’m much more relaxed, but the old devil named procrastination always wants to come out and play. Under a tight schedule, it’s much easier to squeeze in the work that I need to get done in an appropriate timely fashion. Like I said, it’s organized chaos and I wouldn’t be who I am if I wasn’t busy so much of the time. So instead of sitting here and complaining about the stress I’m about to endure, I’ll welcome it with open arms. It simply means that I’m being productive and moving toward progress.

Ask me who my favorite singer is and I will tell you Christina Aguilera for sure. Not only does she arguably have one of the best voices in music history, but she has also been able to dish out lyrically powerful songs one after another. She may not be perfect, but she is surely talented with plenty of soul and I can’t help but admire her strength. Say what you will, but Christina has been able to stay in the music game for a while, so she must be doing something right.

“Mercy on Me” from her Back to Basics album is one of my personal favorites, showcasing all of her strong points. It is pleasing to the ear, the lyrics are strong, and it is sincere. So here it is… enjoy!